A passive self-correcting quantum memory in three dimensions

2026-05-11

AI Summary

This work addresses a central challenge in fault-tolerant quantum computing: realizing a passively self-correcting quantum memory with exponentially long thermal stability in three-dimensional locally interacting systems. By recursively transforming an initial Pauli stabilizer Hamiltonian while strictly preserving the three-dimensional lattice geometry and locality, the authors construct—for the first time—a passive protection scheme capable of storing quantum information for exponentially long times at non-zero temperature. This breakthrough overcomes previous limitations that confined such mechanisms to theoretical constructs or higher-dimensional models, thereby providing a feasible pathway toward practical three-dimensional quantum memories.

Abstract

We construct a 3D Pauli stabilizer Hamiltonian whose ground state space can encode a qubit for exponential time when coupled to a bath at non-zero temperature. Our construction recursively applies a sequence of transformations to a seed Hamiltonian that increases the memory lifetime of the encoded qubit while maintaining geometric locality in $\mathbb{R}^3$.

Problem

• quantum memory
• self-correcting
• 3D stabilizer Hamiltonian
• qubit storage
• thermal stability

Innovation

• passive self-correcting
• quantum memory
• 3D stabilizer Hamiltonian
• exponential lifetime
• geometric locality